Betrayal is the Only Truth That Sticks
by jenvieve
Summary: Jack Sparrow has been rescued from Davy Jones' Locker, and now Elizabeth Swann must face her guilt and the truth of her betrayal. But will she be the only one to betray another? Post-DMC. Reviews are highly appreciated!
1. Reminiscing and a Journey

**A/N: All characters belong to Disney, no copyright infringement intended!**

**Please read and review. I would absolutely love to see what you think so far. I'm starting it just after Dead Man's Chest, so it will probably end up a bit AU from here on out. It'll be like my own little version of At World's End. ;) More chapters to come!**

Betrayal was something Elizabeth Swann had never truly encountered until she'd been thrust into piracy. There was the minor betrayal of the upper class, of course; one young lady would share a secret with another and it would end up becoming common knowledge by the end of the evening. _Real_ betrayal, however – cold-blooded betrayal – was something that was quite new to her. How easily she had become accustomed to it, how easily she had become the betrayer…

The events of that day still played in her head, on repeat. Until a few moments before the incident, Elizabeth had never intended to sentence the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow to his death. It wasn't even death, not really. It was a fate worse than death, an eternity in Davy Jones's locker, all alone and suffering.

The guilt that had overcome Elizabeth as she walked away from him, and as they rowed away in the longboat, was immense. It felt like a dream, or perhaps a nightmare. It couldn't have been real. She couldn't have latched Jack to the mast of his ship, the very ship that was about to be dragged down by the Kraken. It was inhumane and so very much unlike Elizabeth Swann, the governor's daughter.

But she wasn't the same woman as the governor's daughter had been. She was Elizabeth Swann, the pirate. Even Jack had admitted so, almost proudly. Her days of innocence, of complete kindness and selflessness, had ended. She had to look after herself in this brutal world of piracy, and she had to consider the welfare of the rest of the crew. The Kraken had been after Jack and Jack alone. Leaving him there to satisfy his debt to Jones had been the only option. Surely he understood that. Surely they all would, should the rest of the crew find out.

Elizabeth had no intentions of telling any of them what she had done to their beloved captain. For a few moments, she wondered if she ought to at least share it with Will, whose cold demeanor made her wonder if he had witnessed the kiss she and Jack had shared just before she left him to die, but she thought better of it. If he knew what she had done, his love for her might waver. No, it was a secret that would remain between she and Jack. With Jack out of the picture, she needn't worry about anyone finding out the truth behind the events.

Despite her incredible guilt, Elizabeth was also relieved that Jack hadn't lived to tell the tale. She could deal with him telling them all that she had killed him, perhaps… at least she could come up with a decent excuse for that. It was the kiss she was more concerned about. He would never let her live it down. Jack would assume that it had meant something, that it was proof that she secretly wanted him and a life of freedom away from Will and what he had to offer. Had it meant something?

It was a thought that had plagued her for a while, even before that fateful day. She felt an attraction to Jack, there was no denying that. He had a way of getting under her skin like Will had never been able to. Deep down, Elizabeth felt that Jack understood her far better than Will ever could. Did that warrant taking action, though? Will loved her, and despite the fact that he was so focused on saving his father, he would always be there for her. Jack, on the other hand… well, Jack wasn't the relationship type. His philosophy was to bed a woman and move on before she woke up the next morning. She was much better off without him, and thankfully she would never have to revisit her feelings for him again. He was gone forever.

Or so she thought. Tia Dalma seemed to have other ideas when they reached her little shack in the bayou. The voodoo priestess had a way of recovering Jack Sparrow, to the rest of the crew's (except Will's) relief. And worse than that, she'd brought Hector Barbossa back to help them. It seemed ironic, considering his old hatred for Jack, but his assistance was accepted nonetheless. It was with a great deal of apprehension, then, that Elizabeth joined the rest of the crew in their journey to recover Jack from Davy Jones's locker.


	2. Hallucinations

This was not a fate Jack would have wished on his worst enemy. It was a fate nobody should have to endure, a fate far worse than death. The Locker was an abominable place. There was no food, no rum, no company except for the forms of himself that kept popping up everywhere. He had his beloved _Black Pearl_, of course, but what good did that do him when there didn't appear to be any water to sail upon? Sand and desert stretched out as far as the eye could see. How could he possibly spend an eternity here? Death seemed the better option, and he would have gladly welcomed it over this.

Jack didn't know how long he had been there. It could have been minutes, hours, days, months… The sun, beating down on him and torturing him with its tremendous warmth, never set. He couldn't tell one day from another. In such an atmosphere as this, it was of little wonder that one could go mad within a very short amount of time.

What happened to all of the others that had been sentenced to an eternity in the Locker? Were they still here, or had they somehow perished? Could one perish here? How large was the Locker? Did it stretch on for miles and miles, ensuring that no two prisoners ever encountered each other?

Question upon question had entered into his mind since he'd gotten here, but he had no answers, and there was no one else around to ask. The silence was driving him insane. The only refuge he had from the stillness was the conversations he had with the other Jacks. Yes, there were other Jacks, and they were his constant company, voicing the concerns he felt, reminiscing on things he didn't want to remember.

He needed a distraction. There was too much time on his hands here. When he wasn't busy, his thoughts pushed to the forefront of his mind, and these thoughts were ones he'd hoped never to reflect on again.

It was impossible to forget how he had gotten here in the first place. He hadn't expected to be thrown to the Kraken, at least not so soon, and certainly not by the hands of Elizabeth Swann. If Jack had expected anyone to betray him, he'd thought it would be Will. He might have been somewhat okay with it if it had been Will. But no, Elizabeth had been the one to betray him, to send him to this godforsaken land.

It wasn't the act of chaining him to the mast of the _Pearl_ that bothered him; she had perfectly good reasoning for doing that, if he was honest with himself. What irritated him most was that she'd kissed him before doing it. What was the reason for that? There were other options for distracting him, but she'd chosen that. She'd been clever and used his biggest weakness – women – to accomplish her goals. Jack couldn't begrudge her for that. Any pirate would have done the same thing.

That didn't mean that it still didn't torment him, now that he had all the time in the world to think about it. He still remembered the feel of her lips against his, if only because he'd longed to kiss her for a while. It wasn't that he had feelings for the girl – no, he was a pirate, and pirates didn't have real feelings, at least not romantic ones. Elizabeth was simply a beautiful woman, and Jack had a thing for beautiful women. And she was taken, which made the challenge even more appealing. It was a forbidden fruits type of thing.

It didn't matter, though. Jack would never see Elizabeth – or any other woman, for that matter – again. He would never know Elizabeth's true intentions for kissing him that day. He wouldn't know if she felt guilty about what she'd done. He didn't care anyways, right? Right. He would just not think about her for the rest of eternity. Yeah, that would work out well.

"Captain Sparrow!"

Jack's eyes snapped open. He was lying on the deck of the _Pearl_, and one of his counterparts was leaning over him, looking troubled.

"Terribly sorry t' interrupt you, sir. S'just that… well, there's someone 'ere to see you."

Someone to see him? Jack sat up abruptly. Who could possibly be here to see him? There was no one here, no one but him and his delusions. He climbed to his feet in a flash, glancing around wildly for any sign of this visitor. And then he saw her. She was standing on the sand near the _Pearl_, watching him calmly, a faint smile on her lips.

Jack's brows furrowed. He hadn't left the ship since he'd landed here, and he was a bit concerned that if he did, it would somehow disappear, leaving him truly alone. At least with the _Pearl_ there, he didn't feel so terrible. Without her, what would he do? Even so, this visit seemed more important. He would have to take his chances and climb down to meet her.

He stepped across the deck and grabbed some rope, pulling it to make sure it was secured to something. Then he turned to his crew of Jacks, who were all waiting expectantly for orders. "Keep working," was all they got, and they scattered as Jack gripped the rope and descended to the ground.

His unexpected visitor had not disappeared, thankfully. She was still waiting for him, her hands clasped in front of her, saying nothing. Jack hesitated. What if this was a mirage and he had left the comfort and safety of his ship for no reason at all? That couldn't be…she seemed so real. Clearing his throat, Jack released the rope and stepped towards her with his usual eccentric swagger.

"Come to keep me company, eh?" he questioned as he reached her. "You're the last person I expected t' see here, Lizzie."

Elizabeth smiled and shrugged. He ought to have known something was up by how cheerful she seemed. "I couldn't bear the idea of you being here all alone," she explained.

"Mm." Jack narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her face. She seemed different somehow, although he could not decide on the reason why. "An' how exactly did you get here?"

"That isn't important," Elizabeth responded, her tone determining that the question was closed off and he would receive no further acknowledgment if he asked again. "I'm here, Jack. Isn't that what matters?"

Jack stared at her. Something wasn't right, he knew that now. Elizabeth wouldn't be acting this way. This was just some figment of his imagination. "You're not real."

Elizabeth nodded. "I have something to show you." She turned and beckoned for him to follow, but he stood still. She looked back at him quizzically. "You have to trust me. I'm not here to hurt you, I'm trying to help."

"Lot o' good that did last time," Jack muttered bitterly. "I'm not leavin' wivout the _Pearl_. She's the only thing I've got left."

"You don't have to worry about that," Elizabeth assured him, nodding towards the ship. When Jack turned, it was to see that the ship was moving very slowly, over a sea of what looked like rocks. Wait… those weren't rocks. Were those crabs? Crabs that he'd thought were mere stones? Huh. Things were certainly odd around here. "Follow me."

Elizabeth began to walk alongside the _Pearl_, and Jack rushed to catch up. As long as his beloved ship was going in the same direction, he had no reason not to follow along. It wasn't as though this illusion of Elizabeth could do anymore harm to him than the real one had, after all. She would probably disappear again, and there would be nothing more to worry about.

After walking up and down endless hills of sand, they came upon the shoreline. There was an ocean here? Did that mean there was a way out? Had this fake Elizabeth just showed him the secret to escaping? He turned his head to speak to her, to ask her these questions, only to find that she had vanished. "Strange," he muttered, glancing out at the horizon. "Well, now what?" Where did he go from here? Hoping it would give him some idea of where to head next, Jack removed his compass from his effects and flipped the top open. The needle spun round and round, but did not come to a stop. "That's unhelpful…"

"Mother's love! It's Jack!"

Jack started, snapping the compass shut as his eyes searched for the speaker. He knew who it was, of course; there was no mistaking the voice of his first mate Joshamee Gibbs. His hallucination of Elizabeth was easy enough to understand, but why was he creating the image of Gibbs? He was a good, loyal man, but that didn't mean Jack wanted his company right now.

Finally he found the man belonging to the voice. Gibbs was rushing towards him, looking surprised and cheerful. He was also not alone. Behind him stood most of the _Pearl's _former crew, including Will, to Jack's annoyance. He _certainly_ would not have dreamed up Will's presence. Standing near them was Tia Dalma, looking macabre as usual, and Hector Barbossa. Wait, Barbossa? What was he doing here? Jack must have gone absolutely mental.

Someone was missing. Jack tilted his head to see through the group. Ah, there she was. Behind all of them, looking as though she would rather not be seen at all, was Elizabeth Swann.

**Well, I hope you liked it. I'm more accustomed to writing from Elizabeth's POV, so this is a bit different for me. Please review and let me know if you have any suggestions, questions, etc. Even general comments would be appreciated!**


	3. The Rescue

**Reviews would be REALLY appreciated. I'm not sure if I want to continue this story, so it would be nice to have a bit of feedback to go off of.**

"Ah, Mr. Gibbs," Jack greeted finally, offering something close to a genuine smile. "And the rest of you," he muttered, making a face as he waved his hands dismissively at them. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to go. Or nowhere to go." He paused, a contemplative look passing over his features. After a short time, he shrugged. "Either way, I'll be going now."

With that, he turned on his heel and headed back in the direction of his ship, once more flipping the top of the compass open. The needle spun continuously once more, much to Jack's chagrin. Well it looked as though following his compass wasn't going to be an option. He would just have to wing it and hope he ended up somewhere nice with a great deal of rum and women and whatever else he might fancy at that point in time.

"Y'don' know your way, Jack." Jack stopped in his tracks, wondering whether he should acknowledge the voodoo priestess or continue on. She was a mirage, surely. What use was there in wasting his time with her, or with any of them? Still, perhaps to forestall his having to think of what to do next, he wheeled around to face them all again.

"And I suppose you do, eh?" Of course she did. She was Tia Dalma, or at least she would have been if Jack's mind wasn't making her up right now. "I've been wivout a map before. Can't be too difficult to find my way to the nearest port."

The eccentric woman raised a dark eyebrow. "You forget you're in de land of de dead. 'Tis harder dan you might t'ink to escape dese haunted shores." Her dark eyes took in their barren surroundings thoughtfully.

"Always was fond of a challenge," Jack responded, grinning.

"You can't do it alone, Jack," Barbossa pointed out gruffly, crossing his arms. "Much as I'd love to see you try, you're forgettin' that you have no crew."

Barbossa had a point, though Jack had no intentions of admitting it. He had his crew of Jacks, of course, but at the end of the day, they were really only hallucinations. They couldn't help him sail out of this dreadful place and back to the real world.

"I don' need a crew. I have those – er – crabs to help me." He glanced over to where the large group of rock crabs had settled the _Pearl_. Since then, they'd dispersed, seemingly satisfied with their work and content to go back to lying about uselessly in the middle of nowhere, or whatever it was they did. When he reluctantly turned back to his former crew, Barbossa had an infuriating smirk on his face. It was time for them all to go.

Jack scrunched up his face in concentration, closing his eyes. He muttered something under his breath repeatedly, and many of the others leaned forward slightly in an attempt to hear it.

"What's 'e doing?" Pintel inquired, glancing at Ragetti.

"Looks like he's thinkin' real hard about somefin," Ragetti responded confidently.

"I know that, you fool! I mean what's 'e thinkin' about?"

Ragetti's eyebrows pulled together. "Well, 'ow should I know! Why don' you ask 'im yourself?"

"He t'inks we're a hallucination," Tia Dalma answered calmly and patiently before Pintel could think of a retort.

"Jack." The voice made his eyes snap open. Elizabeth stepped forward from the back of the crowd, a vague look of concern on her face. Was this what she had sentenced him to? As if the Locker didn't look unwelcoming enough, he was contending with hallucinations as well. He had to have seen other images if he was so convinced that they were a part of his imagination. "We're real. You aren't imagining us, we're here."

Jack scrutinized her face, his expression darkening slightly. How could she speak to him, and with such concern, when she was the reason he was stuck here?

"Does anyone care to explain to me _why_ you're all here, then?" He still hadn't given up on his beliefs – no, his hopes at this point – that the group of them were figments of his imagination. It was ironic, really. Ever since Jack had gotten there, he had longed for real company. Someone, anyone who could distract him from his thoughts. Now that there were people here to distract him, he wished they would all leave. Especially Barbossa. And Elizabeth. And Will. Okay, well all of them then.

"There's trouble, Jack," Gibbs answered quickly. "Beckett's got the heart of Davy Jones."

"He's taking over the seas," Elizabeth added, frowning.

"The Brethren Court has been called upon to meet, an' we need all the Pirate Lords there," Barbossa interjected, putting particular force on the word 'all.'

Comprehension fell like a shadow over Jack's face. "Ah, there it is then. The real reason you've all come so far to find me." These people weren't here because they'd missed him, or because they felt guilty, or because they even cared (although they were pirates, and that shouldn't have surprised him). They only wanted him for their own reasons. "Tell me," he began, taking a step towards them. "Would you lot still be here if I wasn' an important pawn in this grand scheme of yours?"

Jack took in the expression on every face, and it confirmed what he had originally suspected. "Why should I help any of you?" he asked airily, lifting a hand to examine his dirty fingernails nonchalantly. "I'm perfectly content here wiv my ship, far from the reach of Beckett's power hungry ways. What reason do I have to go with you and risk my life?"

"The very existence of piracy is being threatened," Elizabeth responded, annoyed and disappointed by Jack's lack of distress.

"And it isn't only pirates!" Will exclaimed, throwing in his opinion for the first time since they'd arrived. "Innocent people are being punished, taken advantage of, and sentenced to death. Men, women, children." It was disgusting the way Beckett took lives as though they were nothing. He had to be stopped, and although Will hardly cared for the wellbeing of piracy in the long run, he did want to see an end to the mass executions they'd heard about.

"What are they to me?" Jack replied indifferently, raising his eyebrows as he dropped his hand back to his side, focusing on the group before him.

"You can't possibly wish to remain here for eternity," Elizabeth countered, deciding to play to his personal desires rather than the greater good of the world. He was a selfish creature, after all. "We need you. And you need us."

Jack narrowed his eyes, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Do I really? Why would I need any of you? Four of you have tried to kill me in the past, one of you succeeded." He gestured towards Elizabeth, who looked shocked, to say the least. Everyone else looked rather shocked too as they turned their heads to look at her. No one was quite as stunned as Will. Elizabeth had killed Jack? But then why had she been kissing him? And why hadn't she told Will about it?

"Ah." Jack grinned, satisfied with the reactions he had extracted from them all. "So she's kept that little secret to herself, eh?" He chuckled as Elizabeth's cheeks flushed and she looked away.

"That aside, she's right, Jack," Gibbs said after a moment, breaking the silence that had ensued this news. "We need your help. An' you need a crew. Seems like a fair deal to me, Cap'n."

Gibbs had a point. Even Elizabeth did, as much as he hated to admit it to himself. He couldn't imagine spending an eternity in the Locker. As much as he hated the idea of sailing with a bunch of people who probably would have preferred to see him dead if he wasn't one of the nine Pirate Lords, he hated the idea of existing forever with only himself and his illusions in this godforsaken hell hole even more. Besides, once everything was taken care of, he could abandon them all and go on living life the way he wanted to.

And depending on how Barbossa behaved, perhaps Jack would have the pleasure of being able to shoot him again.

**Alright, so I tried really hard not to take any lines from the movie, but the 'Four of you have tried to kill me in the past, one of you succeeded" line was just too great to be replaced.**

**Anyways, I hope you liked it! I promise the next chapter will have more Sparrabeth scenes, and that's about the time that I'll start off with my own plots, so it'll be different from AWE at that point. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Am I Sorry?

They were stuck. For all their having a ship and a crew and the charts that Sao Feng had given them, not one crewman aboard the _Pearl_ seemed to know how to escape the land of the dead. Even Tia Dalma appeared to be at a loss, or at least she did a wonderful job of pretending to be. The whole thing seemed rather impossible. It had been straightforward enough to reach their destination, but it would all be a waste if they couldn't get back.

It didn't help that tensions were high aboard the ship. If things had been tense before they'd retrieved Jack, it was nothing compared to what it was now. Jack seemed to be overly cautious among them all, although he tried his hardest to make it seem like he wasn't acting any differently. Will and Elizabeth had not spoken since the truth of her actions had been revealed; Elizabeth couldn't bring herself to face him just yet. As for the rest of the crew, they'd taken to giving Elizabeth strange looks when they thought she wasn't paying attention. Nobody had ever suspected the former governor's daughter of being able to do something so sinister, regardless of the motives behind her actions.

It was a frustrating situation. Elizabeth felt more alone than ever before. She hadn't really been on speaking terms with Will before they'd rescued Jack, but at least she'd had the company of the others. Now she had no one. It had to be fixed. She could not go a moment longer being treated like some leper. Everyone would know her side of the story, but first she had to speak to Jack. If he was on her side, maybe the rest of them would forgive her and move on.

But the idea of speaking to Jack wasn't one she particularly enjoyed. How could she face him after her betrayal? Would he even listen to a word she said? It would be difficult, but she had to try.

Elizabeth made her way to the captain's quarters, ignoring the looks she received along the way, and rapped her knuckles against the door gently. She waited, wondering if perhaps he wouldn't even acknowledge her, but then his voice rang out an invitation to enter and she hastily stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

Jack was sitting at the table in the corner, the charts and his compass laid out before him, both feet lounging on the tabletop. When he saw who his visitor was, he quickly dropped his feet to the floor, his back going slightly rigid. He had expected Gibbs, or perhaps even Barbossa come to order him about, but not Elizabeth.

He quickly wiped his shock away and determinedly set about controlling his expression. He couldn't let her see how much she bothered him. "If it isn't my charming murderess," Jack said finally, a lazy grin upon his face. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Elizabeth visibly cringed. That wasn't exactly the way she had been hoping to start off the conversation. "Jack, please…can we at least be civil with one another?"

Jack raised his eyebrows, the corners of his lips turned down. "As civil as a man can be with the woman what killed him." Perhaps he was being too harsh with her…but then, in comparison to his murder, this hardly seemed harsh at all. "Now what is it you've come to discuss, eh? Hoping for forgiveness?" When she dropped her gaze and didn't answer, he continued. "Well I forgive you."

Elizabeth's eyes shot up, and a shadow of confusion fell over her face. "You forgive me?"

"S'what I said, innit? I forgive you." He leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head nonchalantly.

The young woman eyed him carefully. This had to be some sort of trick, some sort of payback. He was lulling her into a false sense of security, he had to be. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes contemplatively. "Why do you forgive me? I… Surely I don't deserve it. I've never known you to be so charitable."

"Charitable," Jack repeated, scoffing. "I'm not being charitable, love. You did what you had to do. You're a pirate, just like I said then. You may not've been born a pirate, but you're a pirate now just the same. You did what you had to do." Why was he being so easy on her? She deserved to be on the receiving end of all his hatred and rage, but he was forgiving her. Perhaps it was the dejected look she had going for her that made it so difficult to be angry with her. "Unless you want me to hate you for it," he added after a moment, chuckling. It sure seemed like it.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I don't. I just expected a different reaction. I betrayed you, after all, and I didn't think – "

She stopped speaking, looking perplexedly at Jack, who had a hand up to silence her. "Betrayal implies that we were ever anything more than acquaintances, Lizzie. Pirates don' make friends for that very reason." He smiled sardonically. That was a rule he always seemed to forget, and he always came to regret it in the long run.

These words, Elizabeth found, cut more than anything he'd said previously. They weren't friends. They weren't anything more than acquaintances who worked together because it was convenient at the time. Once Beckett and Jones were defeated, they would go their separate ways. They would be, in all truthfulness, enemies competing in a cutthroat world and profession. This concept was upsetting to her. She ought to have known that Jack wouldn't come to be a friend, or anything else, but…well, she felt a connection with him that seemed to ignore the silly friendship rule amongst pirates.

She cleared her throat, aware of Jack's dark eyes on her. "For what it's worth, Jack, I never would have done if it there had been any other choice."

Jack grinned. "I know, love. But let's save the trouble of an apology, aye? You already said you weren't sorry. I'd hate for you to go back on that statement because it's what you think I'd like to hear."

"That's not what I meant," Elizabeth responded hurriedly, immediately regretting it.

"Ah." Jack stood from his chair, looking intrigued as he came around the table and leaned back against it. "And what exactly _did_ you mean, Lizzie?"

Elizabeth took a subconscious step back, struggling to find the words to help her out of the hole she'd managed to dig for herself. Damn her conscience! If she had only refrained from apologizing in the first place, she wouldn't be in this situation.

As Elizabeth continued to stammer, Jack took a few steps toward her; it was enough to make her nervous, but Jack was still aware that he needed to keep some distance. Despite the carefully set expression on her face – the same one she'd adopted when he insisted so long ago that she persuade him to return the Letters of Marque – Jack knew that his close proximity was affecting her.

"Your conscience is eatin' away at you, I can see it in your eyes." He grinned as Elizabeth hastily looked away. "You're sorry for killin' me, eh? What're you not sorry for?"

When Elizabeth met his eyes again, his gaze was intense, as though he was attempting to see through her and into her mind. She was used to being scrutinized by Jack, but not so closely as this. Worse still was the fact that she couldn't read him very well, and therefore had no idea what he was thinking.

Elizabeth squared her shoulders, determined not to let her thoughts and emotions show on her face. She wasn't going to give in, not this easily. If he wanted to know the truth, to hear the truth from her lips, he would have to do better than this.

She thought for a moment, determining what she ought to say, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, a knock came at the door. Reluctantly, Jack tore his gaze from her, his grin fading as he stepped back around his table and took a seat, ordering the newcomer to enter.

It was Gibbs. He looked between the two of them anxiously, sensing the tension in the air. "Sorry to interrupt, Cap'n. Jus' wanted to run a few ideas by you…"

Elizabeth shook her head, smiling weakly at Gibbs. "You weren't interrupting anything. I was just leaving." Her eyes roved back to Jack for a moment. He met her gaze briefly before turning his full attention to Gibbs. Frowning, Elizabeth turned and left the cabin, closing the door behind her.

When she glanced up, Will was standing a few feet away. A flash of something like pain went over his features, and Elizabeth knew she was the cause. He had seen her come out of Jack's cabin, which probably only served to fuel his beliefs that she loved Jack. Will had never spoken of his suspicions aloud to her, but she could see it in his face, in the way he watched her, and in the short, jealous glances he sent Jack's way.

She couldn't deal with him right now. As much as Elizabeth hated to see him hurting, she couldn't bear a heartfelt conversation with him. Before she could tackle that task, she would have to figure out her feelings once and for all.

Turning, Elizabeth walked away from him, her thoughts swimming and her heart beating rapidly as she thought of her recent meeting with Jack.


	5. Complications Arise

**As usual, I own nothing. It all belongs to Disney. **

**Also, I'm soooo sorry for taking such a long time with this update (and it's not even very long). Real life has been busy, and I had originally intended to add another scene to this chapter, but I figured I would just hold out and at least give you SOMETHING to keep you busy until my next update. I promise it'll be up very soon!**

**And a very big thanks for the reviews I've received!**

They were running out of time. They were no closer to escaping the land of the dead now than they had been after they'd first retrieved Jack. How long ago had that been? Days? Weeks, perhaps? It was impossible to keep track of how much time passed as they sailed nowhere, steadily depleting their stores of food and drink. It was beginning to look hopeless.

With time came shorter tempers and more arguments amongst the crew. Barbossa had threatened more than once to shoot several of his crew members, Jack included, until Tia Dalma had forcefully stepped in and advised him against it. "We will need everyone if we are t' escape dese doldrums," she insisted ominously. Barbossa never responded, but he listened nonetheless, taking to glaring menacingly instead of verbally threatening his men.

Elizabeth had not had another chance to speak to Jack since their last meeting. She was still not quite sure what the relationship was between them now, or whether he genuinely had forgiven her for her actions. He certainly made no more effort than usual to speak to her when they crossed paths, but he never looked at her with the look of hatred that she'd seen him wear in Barbossa's presence. If nothing else, that had to be a good sign.

Still, she wanted confirmation. Jack was not the type of man to forgive easily, despite what he might have said. When Barbossa had led the mutiny against him, he had harbored a desire for revenge for years. In terms of betrayal, Elizabeth was no better than Barbossa. In fact, she might have been worse. Barbossa had taken the _Pearl_ away from Jack, but at least he'd still had his life (although Barbossa would have had him killed if he'd had a say in the way things turned out). Elizabeth, on the other hand…Well, she'd sentenced him to a fate worse than death. It had been a mere fluke that he'd managed to keep the _Pearl_ with him in that awful place.

Each day without a conversation with Jack was spent fretting about the possibility of his plotting revenge against her. It had to stop. She would simply have to bite the bullet and talk to him about her concerns, although it was doubtful that he would be upfront with her if he was planning something. Still, it was worth a shot.

She was nearly to the stairs leading to the deck when someone stepped out in front of her, blocking her progress. Elizabeth jumped, her eyes narrowing to see through the darkness.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you, Elizabeth."

It was Will. Elizabeth felt relieved, though not exceedingly. While she was glad that it wasn't Barbossa or one of the men they'd picked up in Singapore, she could not say that she was terribly pleased to find Will standing before her. This was the first time that he had made an effort to speak to her since they'd rescued Jack. As her eyes searched his, she knew that this would not be an easy conversation to have.

"You didn't frighten me," she lied coolly, wrapping her arms around her torso. It was so hard to look at him, to see that hurt, lost look on his face.

"I…We can't keep going on like this," he said finally, seeming quite glad to have the words out. He'd been holding them in for a long time, not wanting to bother Elizabeth, wanting to give her time.

"Will – "

"No, please listen. You should have told me why – what you were planning. Why didn't you tell me?"

Elizabeth dropped her gaze to the floor. "You had other things to concern yourself with. I didn't want to add anything more to it."

"But you did. Perhaps not intentionally," he added, not wanting to seem angry with her. "I thought – "

"I know what you thought," Elizabeth responded, her head snapping up angrily. "If you can't trust me, how can this ever work out?"

"How can I trust you when you keep things of this magnitude from me?" Will countered. Elizabeth was annoyed to hear no anger in his voice. He sounded resigned, as though he had already lost the battle. She wanted him to fight, to show any sign of passion for her.

Elizabeth set her jaw, looking him square in the eye. "I suppose you can't," she said harshly, pushing past him to climb the stairs.

She was surprised when she felt fingers wrapping around her wrist, firmly pulling her to a stop. Will put a hand on each of her shoulders and turned her to face him. "I love you, Elizabeth. Nothing you do or say will ever change that." He released one of her shoulders to raise her chin, hoping she would meet his gaze. She did, though quite reluctantly. "I still intend to marry you when this is all over. I love you. Please remember that."

After a moment's silence, Will kissed her gently on the forehead. With a weak smile, he walked away, leaving Elizabeth to her thoughts and with no further intentions to seek out Jack.

**Well, there it is. Short and sweet, but hopefully not disappointing. As much as I dislike Willabeth, a scene between them was kind of necessary. Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


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